Civilized World
A flock of yellow-gray wild sheep crowded around the army formed by the Emperor and the Praetorian Guard. Caravans loaded with mysterious machinery and goods were pulled by several tamed herds of wild horses. Dust kicked up by hooves nearly obscured the setting sun, and every shrub Miller saw was coated in a thin layer of dust. The humid air cooled as dusk approached, but Miller did not relax. Though they traveled slowly, the noise and dust raised by the convoy as it crossed the plains could be seen from kilometers away. He did not know whether humans of this era would be hostile toward them.
He awkwardly tugged the reins, squeezed past the marching Imperial Guard, and reached the front of the convoy. "Will we be attacked?" Captain Miller asked the person seated atop that enormous, winged, pure-white Pegasus. "What this convoy possesses is an immense fortune in this age. If the place we're going has rulers... will you kill them? After all, you intend to take away their children. I doubt this transaction will go very pleasantly."
The Emperor lowered his head and glanced at him. "Are you worried about the grandfather paradox, Captain?"
"This is my first time traveling through time. Did you expect me to learn anything about time from The Terminator?"
Miller had already prepared himself to endure some cutting remark. After their brief time together, he had grown accustomed to the Emperor's manner of speaking. His deliberate concealment of information was often unbearable to those with strong pride, especially since the Emperor had withheld information about the supernatural incident aboard the Event Horizon that had claimed so many of his companions' lives—but fortunately, Miller was not that kind of person. He was now in an unfamiliar era, and if he wanted to